If all you really want is a good burger and a beer, and maybe a little trip out of the city to where the air is a little cooler, head to Greasewood Flat in northeast Scottsdale.  Situated at the site of an old stagecoach stop, Greasewood Flat is a pretty basic spot in some ways and amazingly complex in others. 

 

 

 

 

The menu is limited to burgers, chili and a hotdog.  Simple but good.  Seating is outdoors.  But there's room for you and a few hundred friends.  They say they can seat 1000.  As you walk around the expansive grounds there is an amazing collection of "old stuff".  Collections of wagons form the border and lots of rusty stuff fills every nick and corner.  And there are a few mules and chickens wandering around fenced in areas thrown in for good measure. 

 

Open for lunch and dinner, the party really starts on weekend nights when the bands get going. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been trying to establish an on-going Friday night ritual - one that used to be a regular part of life but somehow got misplaced - of a Friday night Happy Hour.  In past times we'd sometimes have a "regular" spot, especially in the summer when a particular lakeside deck was our destination of choice, and sometimes mix it up a bit.  I'm taking the opportunity now to visit lots of places, some new, some old favorites. 

 

I'm not quite selecting a place every week - either due to schedule or a desire to have a night out on my own - but am probably inviting folks out two or three Fridays a month.  It's been fun and I plan to continue it for some time. 

 

 

 

 

 

This last Friday we visited a newcomer to the Seattle restaurant scene, Frank's Oyster house and Champagne Parlor.  Frank's is located in a neighborhood  northeast of downtown and sits on a block with a couple of interior decorating shops, one of which is more of an "antique" or at least an old-stuff shop. 

 

 

 

 

 

I arrived a few minutes prior to their opening time of 5:00 pm and was glad I did, as the line-up outside was already forming.  Just before the doors opened one of my friends joined me and we were able to secure a nice window spot large enough for the rest of the group. 

 

The interior is a do-it-yourselfer's dream.  Recycled wood panels the walls in an eclectic pattern; furniture seems to mostly be unique antique or flea market finds; the big chandelier in the bar is made of recycled pipe and reminds me of one I've seen somewhere else. 

 

Frank's  Happy Hour has specials on cocktails, beer, wine and food.  Since there were four of us we managed to make a good dent in the menu - both the food and the drinks.  The most popular drink at our table was the specialty cocktail of the night, the French 75, which is a lovely concoction of sparkling wine, gin, lemon juice and sugar.  The bartender did an especially nice job with the lemon twist garnishes!

 

 

 

 

 

We tried to eat our way though most of the discounted menu, but fell a little short.  Still we managed to sample the oysters on the half shell (three varieties); goat cheese deviled eggs; mini-lobster rolls; smoked fish chowder; cheddar cheese & ham biscuits; house-made potato chips; potato skins with truffle oil; and I think at least one other item which escapes me at the moment.  Yum.  I need to go back again.  Soon. 

 

Happy Hour was busy although later arriving groups were funneled into the dining room so that the lounge remained active but not jammed.  We had great service although I've heard from others that is not always the case.  I really like the idea of a great little neighborhood place like this - many of those arriving early seemed to be from the area and they were returning for  their own Friday night ritual.  Too bad it's not in MY neighborhood but I'm glad that this sort of place is finding a home outside of the downtown area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't it odd how our eyes have decided that certain colors mean certain things?  For instance purple/blue generally indicates something sweet like blueberries or perhaps plums.  But take a closer look at the photo; that's nothing sweet, those are mashed potatoes.  Purple mashed potatoes. 

 

 

 

 

 

You might remember that a few weeks ago I made a batch of pink mashed potatoes from red potatoes that are red fleshed as well as red skinned.  This week I bought purple potatoes.  Again, they have purple flesh as well as purple skin.  When they are first cooked they are still deep colored but as I mixed in butter, milk and sour cream they turned a lighter shade of violet. 

 

Top them with a spoonful of sour cream and some bacon crumbles and what appears to be blueberry ice cream with whip cream and nuts turns out to be a savory treat. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of weeks ago I started a batch of homemade limoncello using Meyers lemons that I found at my local Costco.  Today it was time to take a peek at the concoction to see how it was doing.  Our goal is to wait until most of the color has leeched from the zest.  As you can see the zest is still brightly colored, although it's not as bright orange as it was to start.  The vodka is beginning to gain a bit of a yellow tint.  That tint is hard to see in the photos - I should have placed something white in the background to make it easier to distinguish. 

 

So, it's coming along but still needs more time.  At this point we just need to let it sit longer.  I'm going to let it go another two weeks until March 24th.  Check back then for the update! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite Happy Hours in town is at Barolo Ristorante.  All food on the bar menu is 1/2 off; pints of beer are $3; and glasses of featured wine are $3.50 or you can buy the bottle for $14. 

 

 

 

 

On the menu you'll find substantial choices like the risotto, gnocchi and a burger among other items; or plates that are good for sharing like the antipasto, fried calamari or mussels.  The specially priced wines are one of the best values in town.  I normally choose the red, although they also offer a white and a rosé.  Last night's red was a lovely southern Rhône, J. Vidal-fleury Côtes Du Ventoux. 

 

 

 

 

The only negative thing about Barolo's Happy Hour is that it is wildly popular.  Arriving between 4:00 pm and 4:30 pm is the only way to be assured of a seat.  And even then, on days when it seems all of Seattle has skipped out of work a couple hours early, finding a seat can be challenging. 

 

 

 

 

 

206.770.9000  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems all kinds of products are getting into the habit of modifying colors to align themselves with holidays or seasons, hoping to increase sales.  I'd say the tactic probably does work.  I know that I find myself buying more holiday versions of candy, in particular.  Oreo actually started their version of holiday or seasonal varieties several years ago but this was the first time in a long time that one of the colorful versions induced me to purchase.  I guess I may have needed a splash of sunshine so when I saw the yellow-filled "Spring" Oreos I bit. 

 

I actually find them a bit disconcerting to eat.  The brightly colored yellow fillings seem like they should be lemon flavored.  But they are not.  Instead they are just the "regular" flavor.  Still that doesn't seem to have actually slowed down my consumption.  I just have to squint a little when I take the first bite so I screen out the lemon vibes I get from the yellow filling. 

 

 

 

 

A couple months ago I noticed that a favorite pot of mine, a 3-qt, chef's pan, was not looking very good.  It was an in expensive pot that I'd picked up on a whim one day.  The size was good and it was red.  I'm a sucker for red kitchenware.  Over the years it's been used a lot and has been one of my favorite pans but, as less expensive pans tend to do, it was now showing it's wear.  I made a mental note that I'd need to replace it soon. 

 

And then about a week ago I noticed that Calphalon was having one of its sales where they substantially mark down some of their pots and pans.  Fair warning:  this is sometimes as they are getting ready to discontinue a line.  I don't know for certain this is the case but something you might want to keep in mind.  I have a lot of Calphalon and I love it.  Most of my pieces are from another line that is now discontinued, the professional hard anodized line.  So when I noticed the specials I decided to check them out. 

 

This time the discounted pieces are from the Tri-ply copper line.  These pieces have copper on the outside, an aluminum core for even heat distribution and a stainless interior for easy clean-up.  Crate and Barrel is carrying a couple of the pieces, so I was able to physically check them out.  But the biggest selection of pieces is online at Amazon.  I liked the feel and the look of them - although I do wonder how much work the copper will take - so I picked up a couple pieces. 

 

The first, the Calphalon Tri-Ply Copper 3-Quart Chef's Pan, is the replacement for my little red pan.  I also picked up the Tri-Ply Copper 12-Inch Everyday Pan just because I liked the look of it.  The 5-Quart Saucier and the 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan are also marked down and I have these pans in the professional hard anodized versions.  I love them both and use the 2 1/2 quart saucepan so much that I bought two of them. 

 

If you are in the market for new cookware or a fill-in piece or two, you may want to check this sale out. 

  

 

 

 

The first (and last) time I tasted a canelé de Bordeaux was while visiting Saint-Émilion in September 2007. When we arrived in the village a parade and celebration were in progress, much to our surprise.  We watched the townspeople file by on their way to the central church where they would pray for the red-grape harvest which was set to begin any day. 

 

After watching the parade we still had some time before our lunch reservations at L'envers du Decor so we wandered the city checking out wine shops and caves; shops and bakeries; and the surrounding scenery of rolling hills.  My friend MB could not stop talking about canelé de Bordeaux and pulled me into a bakery right next to our lunchtime restaurant where there were stacks of the canelé.  While we were there I tried one and then bought a couple boxes. 

 

Canelé de Bordeaux are crispy, almost burnt on the outside.  The outside is sugar caramelized until crispy-sweet.  In contrast the inside is a soft and silky rum laced custard.  They remind me of a super-luscious French toast.  And rich - whoa! 

 

 

 

 

 

Seattle now has a source for these French treats and it's not in a place you'd ever expect.  Honoré Bakery is located just east of 15th Ave northwest in the area that is north of Ballard, south of Crown Hill.  Technically its Loyal Heights.  There's a little one to two block stretch with a few shops and the bakery is right in the middle.  The place is teeny.  The bakery itself seems to take up most of the space.  But there is a small glass-encased counter filled with delicacies, a few tables and a little bit of window counter seating. 

 

When I arrived at noon on Saturday there were only three canelé remaining - the man in front of me has secured what would have been the fourth.  I took them all and a couple of Parisian-style macarons.  I wanted to try them right there but needed to get home and take photos first! 

 

The canelé were as rich and lovely as I remembered, although a tad bit undercooked, which is one of the challenges of canelé.  But, that just meant that I wouldn't have to worry about reheating them, which I did with one this morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

As mentioned, I also tried a couple of their macarons.  The lavender filled with chocolate ganache is a beautiful combination of the two flavors, and the chocolate version was both light and rich.  Very nice.